Airship



Mar. 6, 1923. 1,447,584.

' 0. F. ZAHN.

AIRSHIP.

FILED Nov. 25. 1918.

3 `SHEETS-SHEET l.

ifea/venan any@ ZW Mal". 6, 1923. 1,447,584.

' 0. F. ZAHN.

AIRSHIP.

FILED Nov. 25, 191s. s sHEEssHEET 2.

Mar. 6,1923. 1,447,584.

o. F. ZAHN.

AIHSHIP.

FILED NOV. 25.1918. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3A 45 section of the air ship shown in Patented iar. 6, 1923.

UNETED STATES irai.

oswALD F. ZAHN, or Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AssreNoR 'ro EDITH IL. ZAHN, or

Los ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

- AIRSHIP.

Application led November To all wlw-m it may concern.'

Be it known that I, OswALn F. ZAHN, a citizen ofthe United States. residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California. have invented a new and useful Airship. of which the fol-lowing is a specification.

Myinventionrelates to air ships designed for the purpose of transporting passengers or freight from place to place, and is of the type commonly known as heavier tha-n air machine. i

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means whereby the altitude of the air ship in its Acourse of travel is predetermined and subsequently regulated during the flight so that the air ship will travel in a proper lane or course, other air ships being similarly regulated to ily at higher or lower altitudes so that collision is to a great extent avoided.

.Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the air ship is automatically stabilized. during its flight.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby air is forced against and downwardly over the sides of the air ship so as to give a greater buoyancy to the air ship.

Another object of the invention is to prov ide means whereby the air ship may be -lifted or held in its proper elevation aside `from the de ection of the ailerons and lifting planes.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter from the following specification.

Referring to the drawings which are for illustrative purposes only,

Fi 1 is a plan View of an air ship embodying a form of my invention.

Fig. 2 lrs a side elevation of the air ship shown in Fig. 1.

Fig..3 .is an enlarged front view partly in Fig. 1. diagrammatic views aileron.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are showing the operation of an Fig. 7 is a lifting propellers or fans, the spiral propellers. and other operating means.

F ig. 8 is an enlarged 'cross-sectional view of the air ship showing a stabilizing controlling device. f

diagrammatic plan view of the 25, 191s. serial No. 264,115.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the controlling device for the carbureters.

Fig, 1() is a plan View showing the connection between ythe controlling device for the `gas engines and the throttles for the same.

Fig. l1 is a. diagrammatic view showing a control for the ailerons for automatic lateral balancing.

diagrammatic view showing the tail control for automatically retainingA a predetermined altitude.

Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic view showing the elevator control for fore and aft stabilizing.

The air ship consists of a car or body 20 l longtudinally disposed in the center part of the ship, provided with a curved roof 21 and downwardly converging sides 22 which terminate at their upper ends in a curved portion 23 which joins the roof, as clearly shown in Figs. 3 and 8. It is understood that the air ship is of sufficient size to accommodate a great number of people, the body 20 being suitablyiitted to accommodate the passengers and operators of the aeroplane.

EvtendingI outwardly from each side of the body 20 are planes 24 which terminate at their forward end in a curved nose 25 and which extend lrearwardly` joining each other behind the body and terminating in a tail 26. 27 designates a tail piece suitably mounted or hinged to the tail 26, and 28 designates a rudder which'is also suitably hinged to the tail 26,- the tail piece 27 and rudder 28 being operated in a manner hereinafter described.

3() designates an elevator which is hinged in a suitable .support 31 on the nose of the air ship, an opening 32 being provided in which the elevator is free to be operated. 34 designates a propeller mounted on the forward portion of the body 20, which propeller is driven fromA an engine (not shown) as is ordinarily done with aeroplanes now in use. The elevator 30 is 'provided with a beveled gear 35 vwhich is driven or operated by. a beveled gear .36 on a shaft 37, the shaft 37 being driven through a chain of gears 38 from a motor 39. The operation of the motor is controlled by a endulum 40, the upper end 4l 'of which ma 'es a contact with tervbut insulated from each downward or upward sweep might create a centrifugal force then the pendulum may centrifugal force in which case the pendulum would not swing. The terminals 42 and y43 are provided with extensions 48 and 49 respectively and the end 44 of the pendulum is provided with an extension so that 1n the event the pendulum does not swing due to rise or fall and by such movement the extension 50 on the pendulum will contact wlth the extensions 48 or 49.

The pendulum 40 is connected by means of a wire 5l through a battery 52 to a wire 53 common to two solenoids 54 and 55, the other end of the solenoid 54 being connected by a wire 56 to the terminal 42 and the other end of the solenoidv being connected by a wire 57 to the terminal 54 and 55 are arranged to operate va reversing switch 59, the reversing switch having bladesO, 61 and 62 arranged to contact with terminals 63 and 64 .of a motor startingcircuit 65.

When the motor starts the shaft 37 drives the beveled gear 66 thereon which in turn drives the beveled gear 67 on a shaft 68. The turning of this shaft operates an arm 69 secured thereto which arm4 is provided at each end with exible connections 70 and 71, the connection 70 being fastened to a rod 72 having thereon a contact 73 and .the connection 71 being secured to the lower end of a rod 74 vwhich has a wardly by means of suitably coiled s rings 76 and-77. p close a clrcuit with a contact 78 when in upward position and the contact 7 5 is'arranged l the wire to close a' circuit through a contact 79 when 1n upward position, the contact 78 being connected to the blade 62 of the switch 59 by a wire 80. The contact 79 is c onnected by means of a wire 81 with the blade 60 of the swltch 59. T e contacts 73 and 75 are connected in a line' 82 which line is connected to a wire 83, which, together with wire 84, form .a motor circuit. The middle blade. 61 of the' switch 59 is connected by a wire 85 with 84 of the motor circuit.

The elevator control just described operates in the following manner: l

As the motor is started by the swinging of the pendulum 40 `to make contact with either contact 42/or 43 as heretofore described, the solenoids 54 or 55 is energized according of the movement of the pendulum as heretoforerefcrred to.. The energiz- 43. The solenoids- 4 cont'act'75 thereon, the rods 72 and 74 being velastically held or braced up- The contact 73 is arranged to ing of the solenoid 55, as shown in full lines' in the drawing, starts the motor as the blades 6l and 62 of the switch contact with contacts 63 and 64 of the motor starting circuit and the starting of the motor changes the angular position of the elevator 30 due to the operation of the shaft 37. The operation of the shaft 37 also operates the arm 69 through the mechanism heretofore described, which as shown-in Fig. 13, breaks contact between points 73 and 7 8 thereby opening the motor circuit so that the motor is stopped and the elevator remains in the position to which it has been moved until the angle of flight of the air ship causes the pendulumA to begin to swing into the opposite position' from which-it first was operated, at thismoment, and prematurely before the ship has come to a level position, the pendulum comes into contact with either 42 or 43 according pendulum 94being used to operate the solenoids. The `contacts 95 and 96 ofthe pendulum are arranged to slide on a block of insulation 97 so that a slight movement of the pendulum causes the upper end of the same to contact with one of the contacts 95 'or96 and a further tilting of the machinefwould permit the contact to slide but remaining .during such sliding movement in electrical engagement with the contact which it touches.

The arrangement for tudevat which the air ship is to fly is best illustrated in Fig. 12 in which 100 designat-es a barometer provided with .a series of pins 101 whichv may be engaged by a column of mercury 102. illustrated at 103 is connected to one of the pins 101 according -to the height or lane in which the air ship is to travel. Assuming that the air ship is to travel at anelevation of 2,000 feet, the wire connection 103 is made to the third pin from the bottom on the barometer, in which case should the air ship get above the 2,000 foot level the contact' between the mercury and the wire 103 A wire connection controlling the altil would be'broken and the circuit formed by the wire -103 lthrough the battery 104 and the l wire 105 'to the solenoid -106 would be broken, in which casethe spring 107 would pull the reversing switch 108 into the posienergizlng ,the solenoid 10G to swing the reversing switch to start the motor in the opposite direction and reverse the angle of the tail piece through the mechanism here-4 tofo're described.

Thev air ship shown in the drawings is provided with two ailerons 120 which operate in two openings`121formed in the wings 24, these ailerons heilig mounted to swing on a shaft 122. The ailerons are built of light material and have a forward edge 124 from which a curved upper tace 125 extends 'rearwardly and a short end face -126 which terminates in a curved Jr'ace 127 forming a pocket 128,under the aileron. In

this pocket 128,mounteduon the shaft 122, is a, spiral propeller' 129, the outer edge 130 of which is bent over to catch the air o'r cut into the air after which the air is thrown against the angular sides 22 of the air ship and being under the planes 24, such airthrown against the sidesv gives the ship a greater buoyancy.

Each propeller 4129 is operated by an internal combustion engine 131, the running of which is operated as hereinafter deiscribed. The ropellers 129 being in the pocket 128 behind the ailerons, the portion of the propeller below the shaftv 122 extends below the aileron and as the propeller is moving in the direction of the arrows shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the air is caught by the under part of the propeller and thrown downwardly and backwardly as heretofore described. AThe propellers or fans 140 are each driven froml internal combustion engines 141. The fans 140 are mounted on shafts 142 which are driven from the engine shafts143 through a universaljoint 144, the shaft 142 being provided with a gea-r 145 which meshes with a gear 146 on the shaft 143. Any suitable mechanism may be employed for varying the position of the fans, the speed of the fans being regulated by the-engines which operate the same.

. Means are'provided by which the engines operating the fans and spiral propeller on one Side of the air ship may be caused to operate at a greater speed than those on the other, forstabilizing purposes, this controlling means consisting of. a cable 150 which runs overpulleys 151 and 152, the cable being connectedto the throttle of the respective gas engines so that a movement of the cable operates'to open the throttles of the engines on one side of the air ship and paron each side of said body,

tially closes the throttles on the` other side .of the air ship. The connection used betwem the cable 150 and the throttlcs 155 consists ot asuitable clamp 157 which engages the cable through an elastic conne@ tion 158, the movement of the clamp 157 on the cable 150 being controlled by adjust* able stops 159 and 1GO. This arrangement will insure the 'operation of the engines so as to lift the low side and will. as in the case of electric control, above described. cease action a moment before theplane is balanced which in time offsets the momentum ot' the plane. Any suitable connection may be made between the clamp 157 and the throttle', in the present instance stops 161 and 162 engage the arm 163 of the thottlo The movement of the cable is controlled by a pendulum 17 (l which is pivotally mounted at 171 to swing transversely of the air ship. The upper end 1720i the pendulum. is connected by rods 17 3 with the bell crank leve'r 174 which in turn is connected in any suitable manner at 175 Ato the cable 150. v

The planes 24 are cut to form openings 180 directly over each propeller 140 as clearly shown in ig.

Air currents are from underneath the air ship by the prop- \eller 34 in Figf2. This action creates cur- `pel/ler under each plane, said propellers being arranged to direct currents of air laterally against the sides of said body.

2. An air ship comprising a body in cross-section,plane's extending outwardly Jfrom each side of said body, an aileron for each plane, and a spiral propeller on each side of said body under said aileron, said propeller being arranged to direct a current of air laterally against'the sides of said body.

3. An air ship comprising a body V shaped in cross-section, planes extending outwardly from each side of said body, a spiral propeller on each side of said body under said planes, said propeller being arranged to direct a current of air againstV the sides of said body, extensions on said planes extending forward of said body, and a propeller in front of said body under thei extension formed by said planes.

4. An airship comprising a body, a plane an aileron for each first' directed upwardly l V shaped I 5. An air ship comprising a body, planes on each side of said body, ailerons for said planes, a tail piece, means for operatlng said ailerons, means for operating s`a1d tall plece,

' an elevator at the forward part of said body,

mounted on said shaft in on said body, prop a motor for operating` said elevator, a pendulum, contacts arranged to be engaged by4 said pendulum to start the motor, said contacts being spaced apart in fixed relation but slidable by engagement with Saidpendulum.

6: An airship comprising a body, planes extending outwardly fromy each side of the body, a driven shaft under each plane, a propeller on each shaft, and anaileron rotatably mounted on each shaft movable with respect to its associated propeller.

- 7. An airship comprising a body, Vplanes extendingoutwardly from each side of the body, a driven shaft under each plane, a spiral propeller on each shaft, and an aileron movable relation with its associated propeller.

8. An airship comprising a body, planes on said body, propellers mounted under said planes, and means for automatically increasing the speed of the propellers on one side of the body and' decreasing the speed on 'the other side of the body, said means comprising an engine for each propeller, a fuel supply for each propeller, a cable connected to the fuel supply of all the engines, a c mp elastically mounted on said cable, means for limiting 'the movement of the clamp on -the cable,means on said clamp for engaging the throttle of the engine and apendulum connected to said cable.

9. Anl airship co 1ers mounted on said body, an elevator, and means for automatically operating said 'elevator 'consisting of a motor, connections between said motor ranged member,

and the elevator, an electric controlling circuit for said motor, a pendulum Contact in said circuit arranged at `the side and eX- tending above and below the upper end of said pendulum, and elasticmeans for s upporting said pendulum whereby said pendulum may move up and down to engage said contacts. i

10. In anequalizer for aeroplanes, an elevator, a pendulum, operating means for said elevator, and means for elastically mounting the pivotal axis of said pendulum whereby the rise or fall of said pendulum operates said operating means.

11. In-an equalizer for aeroplanes, operating means therefor and a pendulum having an elastically mounted pivotal axisarranged to put said operating means into operation by the riseand fall of said pendulum.

12. A stabilizer for aeroplanes comprising a suspended weighted body, a slidably arcontacts on said member and an arm on said weighted means arranged to engage the contacts on said member whereby the position of said contacts are changed relative to said arm. /lf An airshi'p comprising a body, a plane on each side of said body, an aileron for each plane, a motor for operating said ailerons, a pendulum, and contacts arranged to be engaged by said pendulum to start said motor` said contacts being connected to each other/ by insulating material and adjustably mounted so as to be moved together by said pendulum.

14. A stabilizer for aeroplanes comprising a suspended weighted body, ,an adjustably arranged member, contacts on said member and an arm on said. weighted 'means ar ranged to engage the `:contacts on said member whereby the positionof said contacts are :changed relative to said arm. rising a body,' planes o.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at rLos Angeles, California, this-- 13th day of November, 1918.

OSWALD F. ZAHN. 

